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The best website for fantasy cricket news and informationMon, 21 Jan 2019 14:23:26 +0000en-UShourly1https://wordpress.org/?v=5.0.3KFC BBL – Match 38 – Thunder V Renegades – FCN Previewhttp://www.fantasycricketnews.com/2019/01/kfc-bbl-match-38-thunder-v-renegades-fcn-preview/
http://www.fantasycricketnews.com/2019/01/kfc-bbl-match-38-thunder-v-renegades-fcn-preview/#respondMon, 21 Jan 2019 14:23:26 +0000http://www.fantasycricketnews.com/?p=8306Denied of what looked to be a certain victory before a rogue light tower decided to blackout up at the Gabba, Shane Watson and his Thunder teammates will be seething over the fact that they had the Heat wrapped around their finger but didn’t get the opportunity to finish them off. Back home at Spotless […]

]]>Denied of what looked to be a certain victory before a rogue light tower decided to blackout up at the Gabba, Shane Watson and his Thunder teammates will be seething over the fact that they had the Heat wrapped around their finger but didn’t get the opportunity to finish them off. Back home at Spotless Stadium, Sydney will be confident they can bring down the third-placed Renegades tomorrow evening and potentially overtake them on the points table.

He’s the first centurion of BBL08, and what a ton it was from the Thunder captain under an enormous amount of pressure to perform away from home like he did. His International career may be over, but Shane Watson’s BBL lifeline has shown the Australian public that he’s still got what it takes to dominate out in the middle. Watson’s 62-ball century left the Heat stumped for answers as the former Australian all-rounder rapidly took the bowlers apart piece-by-piece, particularly the spinners who were hoiked over the rope six times. Now they come up against the Renegades who haven’t exactly been dominant this season, yet done enough to keep themselves in the top half of the standings. New Zealander Anton Devcich has been handy as Sydney’s makeshift-opener with scores of 21 & 26 alongside Watto, not huge numbers but enough to suggest he’s building on something.

The loss of Jos Buttler was always going to take its toll at some stage, the brutality of his strokeplay hasn’t been matched by anyone apart from Watson who now looks set to produce some big numbers at the backend of BBL08. The middle & lower order just has to do what it can to support their in-form skipper, and they’ve got plenty of big-hitting options to accompany him. Spin could once again be the theme of Sydney’s bowling attack at Spotless Stadium tomorrow, they stocked up on slow bowlers against the Heat with five spinners in the side. The combination of Daniel Sams, Chris Jordan and Gurinder Sandhu seems to be a concrete-structure for them at the moment in terms of fast bowling, Watson seems to be tactically using Sandhu for a couple of overs before changing the pace of the game which is intelligent captaincy. The deceiving leg-spin of Fawad Ahmed is always a major factor in the game, if he’s taking wickets the Thunder are more often than not winning games of cricket.

A backward step was taken in their last match against the Stars at Marvel Stadium on Saturday, now the Melbourne Renegades find themselves fighting to hold onto a spot in the top three. A match that was dominated by opposition all-rounder Marcus Stoinis, the Renegades failed to match his efforts with both bat & ball which eventually saw them cough up the win. After making his return at the SCG where he managed to find some form with two big blows over the rope to win his team the game, Cameron White once again fell short in BBL08 scoring a sluggish 1 off 5 balls against his former team. Both White and Tom Cooper have been dead weight in this Renegades side this season, although Cooper has managed to string together some modest numbers in recent times. The return of regular-skipper Aaron Finch must be seen as a massive positive, the 32-year-old has been one of the most dominant batsman in BBL history since its inaugural season.

Renegades seamer Kane Richardson continues to keep his team in the finals race, his 16 wickets at an average of just under 15 signifies just how consistent the South Australian has been in BBL08. He’s just lacking a bit of support from his fellow bowling attack at the moment, both Jack Wildermuth and Cameron Boyce aren’t having the impact they would’ve hoped for recently which is putting a lot of pressure on Richardson to make regular breakthroughs. It would be great to see Dan Christian get on a roll with the ball, he’s an experienced campaigner who has plenty to offer with his variations and accuracy. Both Christian and Nabi are vital role-players in the team as the Renegades two specialist all-rounders, they just haven’t been able to get themselves involved in the game regularly enough in the tournament. Can the Renegades cause an upset away from home, or will the Thunder strike down the visitors in front of the Thunder army?

]]>http://www.fantasycricketnews.com/2019/01/kfc-bbl-match-38-thunder-v-renegades-fcn-preview/feed/0KFC BBL – Match 37 – Strikers V Hurricanes – FCN Previewhttp://www.fantasycricketnews.com/2019/01/kfc-bbl-match-37-strikers-v-hurricanes-fcn-preview/
http://www.fantasycricketnews.com/2019/01/kfc-bbl-match-37-strikers-v-hurricanes-fcn-preview/#respondSun, 20 Jan 2019 14:24:38 +0000http://www.fantasycricketnews.com/?p=8303It’s the BBL07 final rematch in Adelaide tomorrow, and revenge would be on Hobart’s checklist after they were defeated on this very ground last year courtesy of the Strikers. This time around, it’s the Hobart Hurricanes who are in the best position to win this year’s title coming into this match against the home side. […]

]]>It’s the BBL07 final rematch in Adelaide tomorrow, and revenge would be on Hobart’s checklist after they were defeated on this very ground last year courtesy of the Strikers. This time around, it’s the Hobart Hurricanes who are in the best position to win this year’s title coming into this match against the home side. The Hurricanes have lost just one game in BBL08, it would take an almighty effort from the Strikers to bring down this seasons powerhouse side despite the home ground advantage.

It’s always a tough ask to back up your previous season in a twenty20 competition, especially given how successful the Adelaide Strikers were in BBL07 where they managed to take out the title. It hasn’t exactly been smooth sailing for Adelaide in 2018/19, although the rest of the competition (excluding Hobart) could very-well say the same thing. To put it simply, the Strikers just haven’t had enough contributors with the bat this season to challenge opposition bowling attacks. Big-hitting South African Colin Ingram has upped the ante with the willow in recent times with scores of 57 against the Stars and 48 against the Thunder, but he to hasn’t been able to covert enough good starts into big scores which is what the Strikers have been crying out for all season. Opening batsman Jake Weatherald probably falls into the same category with his substandard form, but like Ingram he’s also managed some decent knocks as well.

Not recognized for his big hitting, Jono Wells may be short in stature, but he’s been playing his part for the Strikers in their middle order. The former Hurricanes batsman has finished the innings unbeaten on five separate occasions, adding to that Wells also has five scores of 20+ runs in BBL08. The return of Alex Carey should give Adelaide some relief at the top of the order, let’s just hope he doesn’t get run out a third time in the tournament! Afghanistan leg-spinner Rashid Khan has had another sensational tournament in the BBL, he’s on track to better his efforts from last season where he gathered 18 wickets. Family tragedy hasn’t stood in his way, the passing of his father seems to have only given him more strength & motivation to dominate with the ball. Adelaide’s pace attack hasn’t been as dominant as last year, but it doesn’t take much to turn things around which is what the Strikers will be hoping to do against the Hurricanes tomorrow night.

All aboard the Cane Train! It’s still too early in the tournament to suggest that the Hobart Hurricanes have this seasons BBL title in the bag, in saying that they wouldn’t be very far off either. In a campaign already full of so many memorable moments, James Faulkner’s final-over heroics against the Scorchers would have to be right up there as the best of BBL08. Having barely picked up a bat all tournament for Hobart, Faulkner found himself in the pressure cooker needing 16 runs off the final over in a face off against Andrew Tye. “The finisher” lived up to his name as the Hurricanes all-rounder sent Tye packing for 16 runs in the first three deliveries of the over, the rest was history. Another man who is starting to light up the stage in the middle order is Hurricanes veteran George Bailey, experience simply can’t be bought. Bailey’s unbeaten 70 in a losing cause against the Renegades and just recently 69 in Perth means that D’Arcy Short, Matthew Wade and Ben McDermott aren’t the only players the opposition has to worry about.

Both Short and Bailey are currently averaging over fifty with the bat in BBL08. Rarely do you see Jofra Archer struggling with the ball in hand, however this tournament would suggest otherwise. It’s been the likes of Riley Meredith, James Faulkner and the spinners who’ve been teaming up to bring down opposition line-up’s, Archer on the other hand appears to have lost his X factor he possessed for the canes last season. He’s still picked up 9 wickets in the tournament, but it hasn’t been the same lively-Archer we’re used to seeing. That’s really just grasping at straws though, this Hobart Hurricanes outfit looks like the real deal in 2018/19. Out of all the matches played so far, this one would undoubtedly mean the most to them if they can get some sort of revenge on the team who denied them a BBL title last season.

]]>http://www.fantasycricketnews.com/2019/01/kfc-bbl-match-37-strikers-v-hurricanes-fcn-preview/feed/0KFC BBL – Match 33 – Heat V Thunder – FCN Previewhttp://www.fantasycricketnews.com/2019/01/kfc-bbl-match-33-heat-v-thunder-fcn-preview/
http://www.fantasycricketnews.com/2019/01/kfc-bbl-match-33-heat-v-thunder-fcn-preview/#respondWed, 16 Jan 2019 13:39:40 +0000http://www.fantasycricketnews.com/?p=8299Dominant victories in their previous outings in the BBL to both the Brisbane Heat and Sydney Thunder has set this match up quite nicely, the hosts just one win off joining a cluster of teams on four wins apiece in the competition. The last time these two teams met, it was Brisbane who got the […]

]]>Dominant victories in their previous outings in the BBL to both the Brisbane Heat and Sydney Thunder has set this match up quite nicely, the hosts just one win off joining a cluster of teams on four wins apiece in the competition. The last time these two teams met, it was Brisbane who got the job done against the Thunder in a rain-affected match at Spotless Stadium.

Things are starting to look a lot more positive for the Brisbane Heat after making a slow start to the tournament. All of a sudden Brendon McCullum has appeared from the shadows with three-consecutive fifties at the top of the order, and for the first time in BBL08 Brisbane’s pace attack looked threatening against the Renegades in Geelong. Better yet, the current Australian selections for the upcoming test series featuring Matt Renshaw, Marnus Labuschagne and Joe Burns shouldn’t impact the side whatsoever going by how they’ve been operating as a unit. Burns contributions with the bat have been minimal this season, and Renshaw & Labuschagne didn’t really look comfortable at the crease for the Heat either. It’s been the likes of Brendon McCullum, Max Bryant and skipper Chris Lynn doing most of the damage this season for the Heat, they could almost be seen as the troublesome-trio.

Bryant’s see ball, hit ball approach has been exciting to watch, and the experience of Brendon McCullum whose contribution to the team was questionable for the first handful of matches has just reminded everyone what he’s capable of with a flurry of runs in his past three stints at the crease. The six-hitting specialist known as Chris Lynn has led the way for the Heat again in 2018/19 with an average of 52.16, now it’s up to the rest of his team to pull together and perform. Afghani spinner Mujeeb Ur Rahman continues to play a crucial part for the Heat in BBL08, his economy for the tournament is 5.58 which signifies just how difficult it is to take runs off the teenager. One notable feature about this Brisbane side is how many bowling options they possess, if they can utilize their three seamers and two specialist spinners to the best of their advantage, winning matches regularly shouldn’t be a problem (especially given the strength of their batting line-up). You can never be too sure with the Brisbane Heat though, they also happen to be one of the most inconsistent teams in the BBL.

Almost a mid-season shakeup (if you could even call it that), the Sydney Thunder have introduced a host of new faces in BBL08 as they look to press on towards another finals campaign. New Zealander Anton Devcich, England’s Chris Jordan and New South Wales limited-overs wicketkeeper Jay Lenton all featured in their first match of BBL08 for the Thunder last weekend. Losing Jos Buttler was certainly a key omission for the lime green men, but the use of Kiwi all-rounder Anton Devcich up the order could prove quite handy in the English wicketkeeper’s absence. Skipper Shane Watson finally found the middle of his bat on Sunday at Spotless Stadium, the veteran opener smashed 68 off 40 deliveries as he set the match up beautifully for the Thunder. After a solid stint at No. 3, South Australian batsman Callum Ferguson seems to be in a bit of a rough patch at the moment having scored two doughnuts (0) in his past three innings for Sydney.

Something that should benefit the Thunder is their long tail, with Chris Jordan at No. 9 they shouldn’t be bowled out easily. Similar to the Heat in this particular area of the game, this Sydney team also has a wide-variety of bowling options at their disposal. With the recent addition of Devcich, the Thunder now have four potential spin options in himself, Ahmed, Green and Nair who picked up 3 wickets in his last game. The pace attack should take care of itself, Daniel Sams has been good all year for the Thunder and now has experienced-campaigner Chris Jordan supporting him from the other end. This is the perfect opportunity for the Thunder to get their revenge on the buoyant-Heat up at the Gabba, they didn’t get the opportunity to fire back at them at Spotless Stadium due to the huge downpour of wet weather that night and ended up losing due to DLS which is never fun.

]]>http://www.fantasycricketnews.com/2019/01/kfc-bbl-match-33-heat-v-thunder-fcn-preview/feed/0KFC BBL – Match 32 – Sixers V Renegades – FCN Previewhttp://www.fantasycricketnews.com/2019/01/kfc-bbl-match-32-sixers-v-renegades-fcn-preview/
http://www.fantasycricketnews.com/2019/01/kfc-bbl-match-32-sixers-v-renegades-fcn-preview/#respondTue, 15 Jan 2019 14:24:19 +0000http://www.fantasycricketnews.com/?p=8296This has been a rather-strange BBL season, only the Hobart Hurricanes have flexed their muscles in the tournament with the remaining seven teams closely-contesting each & every match. The Sydney Sixers and Melbourne Renegades are no exception, they’re both two of four sides in the competition who are sitting on four wins and four losses […]

]]>This has been a rather-strange BBL season, only the Hobart Hurricanes have flexed their muscles in the tournament with the remaining seven teams closely-contesting each & every match. The Sydney Sixers and Melbourne Renegades are no exception, they’re both two of four sides in the competition who are sitting on four wins and four losses leaving very-little margin for error as the tournament ticks over the halfway mark.

Hosting tomorrow night’s match at the SCG, the Sydney Sixers must fancy themselves against a team who was knocked over for a mediocre-91 with the bat in their last outing. It came as quite a surprise given the Brisbane Heat aren’t a team renown for taking a huge amount of wickets, for the Sixers bowling attack that’s music to their ears. Sydney started BBL08 strongly with the ball, in particular Steve O’Keefe and Tom Curran who both compiled a healthy amount of victims in that small period of time. Despite their best efforts, wickets have been a lot more difficult to come by since then which has played a minor part in them losing some of their recent matches. English signing Tom Curran has been extremely handy will the ball for Sydney this season with 11 wickets, and his batting has been an added-bonus. Steve O’Keefe continues to chip away at the opposition leading the Sixers with 13 wickets with his tight line & length.

Sean Abbott has been another who has picked up double-figures in the wickets column this season, but he hasn’t been able to reach the heights of 2016/17. With the bowling attack set to test the Renegades depth once again, they won’t want to turn a blind eye to their batting which still needs improving. Skipper Moises Henriques looks in exceptional touch at the moment despite not scoring a huge amount of runs, Daniel Hughes on the other hand looks set to carry the Sixers through this second half of BBL08 with his very own bat. The addition of yet another Englishman, this time it’s James Vince should only bolster their batting with the likes of power-hitters Jordan Silk and Josh Philippe in an ideal position to finish the innings with a bang! This hasn’t been the most reliable batting line-up by any stretch of the imagination, but a number of these Sixers batsmen are starting to play themselves into form which is a massive tick.

How quickly things can change. After a strong-victory over the Brisbane Heat up at the Gabba, the Melbourne Renegades managed to switch places with the visiting-Heat as the roles were reversed in Geelong with a detrimental-loss. Being bowled out for under three-figures is never a good thing in twenty20 cricket, and that’s exactly where the Renegades found themselves at the 17-over mark. Scores of 28 & 2 for Marcus Harris suggests that he’s slowly working himself back into T20 mode after representing the Aussies in the recent test series against India. Melbourne won’t be getting their skipper Aaron Finch back until the Stars clash, so it’s up to the rest of their top order to fire at the SCG tomorrow night. That’s not to say the middle order is obsolete, if anything Mohammad Nabi and Dan Christian are the match-winners down the order for the Renegades.

It’s more a directive-message towards Tom Cooper and Marcus Harris who experienced BBL cricketers, even Cameron White (if selected) needs to up his game. The return of their leading wicket-taker Kane Richardson is a big inclusion for tomorrow’s game in Sydney, most-likely replacing Joe Mennie who has struggled in his two games for Melbourne. It’s said to be one of Australia’s most notorious spinning decks, if that’s the case Cameron Boyce and Mohammad Nabi should have a big say in this upcoming game. It wouldn’t be a bad idea to bring back the experienced Cameron White against the Sixers, short boundaries are the 35-year-old’s bread and butter in the BBL. An interesting stat for the Renegades in BBL08 is their leading run-scorer for the tournament, Sam Harper with 189 averaging just 27. That’s where Tom Cooper and dropped-wicketkeeper Tim Ludeman have been rather disappointing, experience certainly hasn’t won them any fans apart from Hurricanes recruit Dan Christian in 2018-19.

]]>http://www.fantasycricketnews.com/2019/01/kfc-bbl-match-32-sixers-v-renegades-fcn-preview/feed/0KFC BBL – Match 27 – Strikers V Stars – FCN Previewhttp://www.fantasycricketnews.com/2019/01/kfc-bbl-match-27-strikers-v-stars-fcn-preview/
http://www.fantasycricketnews.com/2019/01/kfc-bbl-match-27-strikers-v-stars-fcn-preview/#respondThu, 10 Jan 2019 14:17:57 +0000http://www.fantasycricketnews.com/?p=8293Sitting right in the middle of the BBL08 points table with three wins-apiece, tomorrow night’s clash at the Adelaide Oval will be the perfect opportunity for one these teams to join the Renegades and Sixers in the top half of the standings. Some big outs for the Strikers could make things a bit more interesting, […]

]]>Sitting right in the middle of the BBL08 points table with three wins-apiece, tomorrow night’s clash at the Adelaide Oval will be the perfect opportunity for one these teams to join the Renegades and Sixers in the top half of the standings. Some big outs for the Strikers could make things a bit more interesting, although the return of their skipper Travis Head might just be enough to get them over the line in front of his home crowd.

As strange as it sounds, the Adelaide Strikers might not have to be at their very-best to win tomorrow’s game in the city of churches. The reason being that the opposition has lost some of their biggest match winners in Glenn Maxwell and Marcus Stoinis, two highly skilled & talented all-rounders that have the ability to turn a match on its head when the odds seem stacked against them. Don’t get me wrong, it’s always satisfying when a team is performing at its full potential, but given how the Melbourne Stars approached the game on Wednesday against the Scorchers, there’s plenty of holes in their game to exploit. Shifting our focus back to the Strikers, the question on everyone’s mind is who will open the batting with Jake Weatherald in Alex Carey’s absence. Well, it’s likely to go one of two ways. On his return to the BBL, skipper Travis Head could potentially place himself alongside Weatherald, or Victorian all-rounder Matt Short may find himself facing the new ball.

Jake Weatherald happens to be the Strikers leading run-scorer in BBL08, but the fact that he’s run out his fellow-opener Alex Carey twice has meant that he’s had no other option but to score bulk of the runs. An issue Adelaide has is how inconsistent their middle order has been, apart from Jono Wells who is averaging 67 due to his unbeaten efforts in four matches, the likes of Colin Ingram and Matt Short just haven’t scored regularly enough. Losing both Billy Stanlake and Peter Siddle to the Australian ODI squad, the bowling attack will have to be readjusted ahead of tomorrow’s game as well. Ben Laughlin is expected to return, while Jake Lehmann also looms as a potential inclusion after sitting out last match. Just about the hardest bowler to score off in the competition, Strikers leggy Rashid Khan has been the standout bowler of the BBL yet again with his deceiving-wrong’un’s. There isn’t a whole lot to the Stats batting line-up, so the Afghani leg-spinner could make an absolute mess of them.

This is where their campaign could completely fall apart, the Melbourne Stars are just one loss away from completely capitulating in this seasons BBL. You wouldn’t know looking at their record, three wins & three losses sitting fourth on the points table looks pretty circumspect. Don’t be fooled though, Melbourne had the likes of Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis and Adam Zampa getting the job done for them, all of a sudden the Australian ODI trio are missing and the Stars go down convincingly to the Scorchers at the MCG. Coincidence, I think not. If there were any positives to take out of the loss to Perth, it was the clean-striking of Ben Dunk who finally found his range at the top of the order. Dunk’s 62 off 47 deliveries was highlighted by his three boundaries clubbed straight back over Ashton Agar’s head in a single over, showing everyone that he hasn’t lost touch just yet. Dunk’s time at the Strikers could see him star with the bat in Adelaide tomorrow as well, he was on fire in the 2016/17 season.

It may take Nic Maddinson a couple matches to return to his destructive-best, that’s where Nick Larkin, Seb Gotch and Dwayne Bravo must start contributing a significant amount of runs for the Stars. On this Adelaide surface, 21-year-old spinner Liam Bowe could be a bit of an X factor with the ball in hand despite just 7 career wickets to his name. As always, the cool kid on the block Dwayne Bravo will be working overtime with his variations alongside his pace attack, both Scott Boland and Liam Plunkett were disappointing with their execution in the Stars last match and can’t afford to bowl in the wrong areas a second time. Fortunately for the visitors, they have two extra seamers in their squad in the form of “the wild thing” Lance Morris and Tasmania’s Jackson Bird if they feel the need to shake up their attack. As the pressure slowly starts to mount on this Melbourne Stars outfit, they’ll start to feel the walls closing in on them which is where panic sets in. Can they tame the Strikers at home? Only time will tell….

]]>http://www.fantasycricketnews.com/2019/01/kfc-bbl-match-27-strikers-v-stars-fcn-preview/feed/0KFC BBL – Match 26 – Heat V Renegades – FCN Previewhttp://www.fantasycricketnews.com/2019/01/kfc-bbl-match-26-heat-v-renegades-fcn-preview/
http://www.fantasycricketnews.com/2019/01/kfc-bbl-match-26-heat-v-renegades-fcn-preview/#respondWed, 09 Jan 2019 13:56:34 +0000http://www.fantasycricketnews.com/?p=8290Slowly but surely creeping up to the Melbourne Renegades in the BBL standings, the Brisbane Heat will be looking to light up the Gabba tomorrow night with a fireworks spectacle in front of a roaring home crowd. The Renegades would be oozing confidence after defeating the previously-undefeated Hurricanes in their last game, the Heat also […]

]]>Slowly but surely creeping up to the Melbourne Renegades in the BBL standings, the Brisbane Heat will be looking to light up the Gabba tomorrow night with a fireworks spectacle in front of a roaring home crowd. The Renegades would be oozing confidence after defeating the previously-undefeated Hurricanes in their last game, the Heat also prevailed over the Thunder in Sydney as the rain decided the result of that match. Apart from Hobart, there hasn’t really been a group of dominant teams in BBL08 as of yet, that’s probably a huge plus for some of these teams in the lower half of the table like the Heat and Scorchers.

There’s still time for the Brisbane Heat to turn their BBL08 campaign around after yet another poor start to the tournament left them all at sea. Well, it just so happens that skipper Chris Lynn has dragged them out of the rubble with the help of Max Bryant, Ben Cutting and more recently Brendon McCullum who finally broke the drought in the runs department with an accelerating fifty at Spotless Stadium. Along with McCullum’s fine work at the top of the order, fellow bash brother Chris Lynn chimed in with his second half century of the tournament giving the Heat a tremendous launching pad at 3-155 with five overs remaining. Don’t ask me how, but Brisbane did their best to butcher the top orders efforts as they managed to lose five wickets in quick succession. The decision to play Matt Renshaw and Marnus Labuschagne over the better-suited T20 batting duo of Joe Burns and Alex Ross was a big mistake in hindsight; both were dismissed without scoring which could see the Heat make that change for tomorrow night’s match.

As the marquee player of the competition, Chris Lynn hasn’t failed to deliver in BBL08 with 233 runs to his name at an average of 46.60, and the best is still yet to come. The return of local-leggy Mitchell Swepson in Sydney could indicate that the Heat are resorting back to their double-trouble spin combination, meaning that Ben Cutting will return to his role as the third seamer in their attack. Surprise, surprise, they haven’t really had a standout bowler this season yet which is usually the case. Quicks James Pattinson, Ben Cutting and Afghani spinner Mujeeb Ur Rahman have taken four wickets apiece, not a bad effort but in the same instance these guys don’t look like breaking a game wide open yet which is what the Heat are in search of.

Credit to the people who predicted the massive-upset win caused by the Melbourne Renegades the other night, it was an entertaining display of cricket to say the least! It also ended the Hurricanes five-game winning streak, a team that was starting to go above & beyond the rest it seemed. It was a rewarding win to state the obvious, but the biggest thing the Renegades would’ve taken out of that game was the all-round contribution with the bat. Apart from teenager Mackenzie Harvey and skipper Tom Cooper who is having a shocking run in the middle order, the rest of Melbourne’s batting order contributed some much needed runs to the scoreboard. The return of Aaron Finch proved handy, but it was Sam Harper, Mohammad Nabi and Dan Christian who showed they’ve got what it takes to step things up a notch when called upon.

Veteran all-rounder Dan Christian has to be the Renegades biggest X factor, his aggressive batting and handy medium pace will continue to play a massive role in BBL08. Returning for just the one match, skipper Aaron Finch has departed for the ODI series against India which sees Marcus Harris return to the squad. Climbing the leading wicket takers this season, speedster Kane Richardson is proving to be lethal with the white ball in BBL08. Richardson has accumulated 11 wickets from six outings now and has taken three wickets on three separate occasions. Pakistan’s Usman Shinwari has been impressive at times, and leg-spinner Cameron Boyce is starting to make that specialist spin bowling position his own for his new team. Captaincy may be the only thing saving Tom Cooper from being axed from the XI at the moment, the Renegades recently left out experienced No. 3 batsman Cameron White which left many stunned, but at the same time his scratchy-form warranted it.

]]>http://www.fantasycricketnews.com/2019/01/kfc-bbl-match-26-heat-v-renegades-fcn-preview/feed/0KFC BBL – Match 25 – Stars V Scorchers – FCN Previewhttp://www.fantasycricketnews.com/2019/01/kfc-bbl-match-25-stars-v-scorchers-fcn-preview/
http://www.fantasycricketnews.com/2019/01/kfc-bbl-match-25-stars-v-scorchers-fcn-preview/#respondTue, 08 Jan 2019 13:53:20 +0000http://www.fantasycricketnews.com/?p=8286Hosting tomorrow night’s game at the MCG, the Melbourne Stars are a big chance to leapfrog the Sydney Sixers which would see them rise to second spot on the BBL08 points table. Both of these teams will be affected by the Australian ODI selections for the upcoming ODI series against India, so expect to see […]

]]>Hosting tomorrow night’s game at the MCG, the Melbourne Stars are a big chance to leapfrog the Sydney Sixers which would see them rise to second spot on the BBL08 points table. Both of these teams will be affected by the Australian ODI selections for the upcoming ODI series against India, so expect to see some unfamiliar combinations at the ‘G’ tomorrow from both the Stars and Scorchers. The men in orange are in unfamiliar territory, they currently sit 8th on the standings with plenty of catching up to do and will be without some of their key names.

This Melbourne Stars outfit is set to receive a huge shakeup tomorrow night against the Scorchers, they’ll be without all-rounders Glenn Maxwell and Marcus Stoinis as well as leg-spinner Adam Zampa who are all off to participate in the ODI series against India starting this Saturday. As a result of those departures, the Stars have handed the captaincy to former Sydney Sixers batsman Nic Maddinson who will also make his long-awaited debut in the emerald green tomorrow night. 20-year-old Jonathan Merlo is expected to return to the side for just his second game of BBL08 which could prompt promotions up the order to Seb Gotch, Dwayne Bravo and Evan Gulbis who’ve all been batting in the middle-lower order this season. With Stoinis and Maxwell absent from the XI, a lot of the pressure will be on Ben Dunk, Nick Larkin and Nic Maddinson which is no great surprise. If Nick Larkin continues to bat with a positive approach & intent to score, that should help the Stars lay a solid foundation for the big hitters to come such as Dwayne Bravo and Evan Gulbis.

Larkin’s not the one the Stars would be worried about, it’s the disintegrating-confidence of Ben Dunk who’s been in a form slump for about two seasons now. It wasn’t that long ago that this very man was dominating the BBL for the Adelaide Strikers, now you wouldn’t even be able to recognise him. That’s a major concern, because without Dunk firing at the top of the order, the Stars will have to rely on the likes of Nic Maddinson who’ll be a bit rusty after recovering from a broken, and the likes of Gotch, Bravo and Gulbis haven’t really shown a whole lot with the bat in the BBL. Adam Zampa however may be a bit easier to replace, they’ve got Michael Beer and Liam Bowe waiting on the sideline for their opportunity to tweak some balls. Windies all-rounder Dwayne Bravo will need to show all his experience with the ball now, without Zampa, Maxwell, Stoinis and Nepal’s Sandeep Lamichhane, wickets will be a lot harder to come by.

What can Perth do to get their campaign back on track? One things for sure, going down to the Brisbane Heat on their home deck certainly didn’t do them any favours. The more realistic question would be, what can Perth do to resurrect their campaign? Currently sitting dead-last on the points table, the Scorchers are caught between a rock and a hard place. It’s comes as quite a surprise, this team has been one of the powerhouse sides in the BBL for a long time now, all of sudden they’ve dropped their bundle as the hunters and have quickly become the hunted. Things aren’t about to get better anytime soon, the Australian ODI team has plucked both strike bowlers Jason Behrendorff and Jhye Richardson from the Scorchers squad which has left a gaping hole in their attack. It’s expected that Perth will include both David Willey and Matt Kelly in place of the Aussie-duo in their XI, they’ll be tested on this hard-Melbourne wicket. Willey has only taken one wicket in five games, so you can understand why the Scorchers left him out against the Heat. Perth’s senior bowlers must stand up, especially Andrew Tye who’s been below-average in BBL08.

A man with subtle variations that once deceived this very competition, Tye hasn’t managed to fool anyone this season. Despite his presence, all-rounder Mitchell Marsh isn’t an overly-huge loss. Wicketkeeper-batsman Sam Whiteman should come back into the XI which will give the Scorchers batting order a bit more flexibility along with David Willey, both can bat in numerous positions which should prove handy. Both Michael Klinger and Cameron Bancroft just haven’t been able to get going with the bat yet, that’s probably why the Scorchers have struggled so much in BBL08. In their past two matches, Scorchers skipper Ashton Turner has led from the front in the middle order with his powerful striking. Scores of 60* & 47 have set the benchmark for the rest of the team. This is a must-win game for Perth tomorrow, a loss could just about destroy their chances of qualifying for the BBL08 finals which would result in a major psychological blow heading into the remainder of the tournament.

]]>http://www.fantasycricketnews.com/2019/01/kfc-bbl-match-25-stars-v-scorchers-fcn-preview/feed/0KFC BBL – Match 24 – Thunder V Heat – FCN Previewhttp://www.fantasycricketnews.com/2019/01/kfc-bbl-match-24-thunder-v-heat-fcn-preview/
http://www.fantasycricketnews.com/2019/01/kfc-bbl-match-24-thunder-v-heat-fcn-preview/#respondMon, 07 Jan 2019 14:01:22 +0000http://www.fantasycricketnews.com/?p=8283Tomorrow night’s match may not be a clash of the titans, but for these two teams its imperative that they start winning at a regular rate if they’re to keep in reaching distance of this year’s BBL finals. After registering their first win of the tournament against the Scorchers on Saturday, the Brisbane Heat now […]

]]>Tomorrow night’s match may not be a clash of the titans, but for these two teams its imperative that they start winning at a regular rate if they’re to keep in reaching distance of this year’s BBL finals. After registering their first win of the tournament against the Scorchers on Saturday, the Brisbane Heat now set their sights on the Thunder who’ve looked shaky in recent times. A narrow-victory in Perth along with two losses in the space of three games has the Thunder nation slightly panicking, they don’t look like the well-oiled machine they first set out to be in their opening BBL08 match.

This could be the Thunder’s most important game in the tournament yet, and there’s a definitive reason for it. After this home game against the Heat, English-duo Jos Buttler and Joe Root will be departing the squad. While Joe Root’s time in Australia has been ‘questionable’ representing the Thunder, his partner has been the standout batsman of the tournament so far. Topping the BBL08 leading run scorers with 268 including three half centuries to go with it, Buttler has been the impact player Sydney was looking for this season. This being his final appearance for the Thunder in BBL08, Buttler will no-doubt be looking to exit the tournament in style with a big performance with the willow tomorrow evening at Spotless Stadium. Looking further ahead, this team has some major problems looming after the two Englishmen have departed. Skipper Shane Watson and middle order batsman Jason Sangha have shown no signs of finding form at the crease, both are averaging under 18 in the tournament and haven’t really produced anything special apart from Sangha who scored that unbeaten 63 in their BBL08 opener at Canberra.

Persisting with a three-man spin attack, the Thunder might just about be ready to call it quits on that experiment. Although he’s been economical at times, Jono Cook just isn’t impacting the contest. Crafty-veteran Fawad Ahmed is the Thunder’s best avenue to taking wickets out of the three, Chris Green is seen more as a well-rounded T20 player who gives the team plenty of value with the bat, in the field and with the ball. Daniel Sams continues to fulfil his spot in the team as the all-rounder, the 26-year-old has done his job so far in BBL08 with bat & ball which should allow overseas-duo Chris Jordan and Anton Devcich to slot right in when they touch down in Australia. It’s always an uphill battle when coming up against the Brisbane Heat’s batting line-up, that’s where the Thunder will be tested big time.

Another disappointing start to the BBL for the Brisbane Heat sees them playing catch up cricket yet again, something no team wants to find themselves doing at this stage in the tournament. Does the punishment fit the crime? Well, looking at their four performances in BBL08, seventh position on the standings isn’t too far off. Defeating the Scorchers away from home was just what the Heat needed to try and salvage their campaign, but this batting line-up can’t keep functioning like it currently is. It’s been New South Wales teenager Max Bryant who has brought some more energy & excitement to Brisbane’s top order, he’s been letting off sparks against the new ball and has a very similar mentality to the bash brothers. That can be seen as a huge positive given what he’s shown us, but the down side is the duration of his innings. We’ve seen the worst of Brendon McCullum this season, an average of 7.50 suggests his risk-for-reward approach hasn’t paid off which as a result has hurt the Heat. Bryant can’t afford to fall into that trap, thankfully skipper Chris Lynn hasn’t lost his touch at No. 3 averaging 44.75 in BBL08.

Sweep-specialist Alex Ross continues to be shunned in the squad, that’s despite Joe Burns averaging 16, McCullum 7.50 & Sam Heazlett 1.33. Instead the Heat have included both Matt Renshaw and Marnus Labuschagne for this upcoming clash in Sydney. Proving to be the match-winner in Perth, all-rounder Ben Cutting’s power-hitting proved vital late in the innings despite having some trouble staying on his feet. Afghani spinner Mujeeb Ur Rahman produced a stunning spell to silence the Scorchers batsmen, the 17-year-old’s 2/10 off four overs left the home side short of runs in the end. Brisbane have quite an underrated fast bowling attack, James Pattinson has looked dangerous at times in BBL08 and Josh Lalor, Ben Cutting and Brendan Doggett can all produce variable bounce on just about any wicket in the country. The Heat just need their batsmen to capitalize with the bat, too often this season they’ve found themselves three down for not many runs.

]]>http://www.fantasycricketnews.com/2019/01/kfc-bbl-match-24-thunder-v-heat-fcn-preview/feed/0KFC BBL – Match 23 – Renegades V Hurricanes – FCN Previewhttp://www.fantasycricketnews.com/2019/01/kfc-bbl-match-23-renegades-v-hurricanes-fcn-preview/
http://www.fantasycricketnews.com/2019/01/kfc-bbl-match-23-renegades-v-hurricanes-fcn-preview/#respondSun, 06 Jan 2019 13:58:50 +0000http://www.fantasycricketnews.com/?p=8280It looks as if the Hobart Hurricanes are the team to beat in BBL08, they’re yet to lose a game in the tournament and have become a formidable-force on their home deck in Tasmania. Maintaining a winning formula, the Hurricanes will travel to Marvel Stadium in Melbourne where a sixth-consecutive win is on the cards. […]

]]>It looks as if the Hobart Hurricanes are the team to beat in BBL08, they’re yet to lose a game in the tournament and have become a formidable-force on their home deck in Tasmania. Maintaining a winning formula, the Hurricanes will travel to Marvel Stadium in Melbourne where a sixth-consecutive win is on the cards. The sliding-Renegades will be hoping that the return of their skipper Aaron Finch can get them back on the right path, they’ve lost their past three BBL games and look visibly-vulnerable as a unit.

It’s not hard to see why the Melbourne Renegades are starting to slide down the standings, lack of runs are becoming an overwhelming-issue and have been a major contributor in their current three-match losing streak this season. In this instance, it’s the senior players in the squad who’re to blame. Renegades stand-in skipper Tom Cooper is averaging a dismal 9 in the middle order, meanwhile arguably their biggest weapon at the top of the order Cameron White has also capitulated as a big performer in BBL08. The question being asked at the moment is “Where are the runs going to come from?” Thankfully the gods have answered their prayers as Australian test opener Aaron Finch returns to the Big Bash. There’s no doubting whatsoever that this is a huge inclusion for the Renegades, but it still doesn’t entirely fix their batting woes.

Walking to the crease earlier than anticipated has definitely restricted the impact of power hitting-duo Mohammad Nabi and Dan Christian in particular who are both exceptional finishers nearing the end of an innings. Hopefully the return of Finch will allow both Nabi and Christian to play their natural games after the halfway point in the innings. Queensland leggy Cameron Boyce is starting to find form with the ball, he’s picked up multiple-wickets in his past two outings for the Renegades and will play another important role tomorrow night against his old BBL side Hobart. After a good start to the tournament, fast bowler Kane Richardson has been held wicketless in his past two matches which won’t be sitting well with him. This Docklands surface should suit the slow bowlers, although Richardson’s pace has proved quite effective producing 6 wickets in his two games at this venue this season.

If there was ever a venue that could play the role of the “party pooper” for the sizzling-hot Hobart Hurricanes, Docklands Stadium immediately comes to mind. It’s not unusual to see a team bowled out for under three figures at this ground, the pitch acts completely different to its opposites around the country and can prove difficult to bat on for teams who aren’t used to the surface. Even the home team struggles at times, so this match could go either way despite both teams differing form guides. It should come as no surprise that Hobart opening batsman D’Arcy Short has got off to a flying start in BBL08, after the tournament this man had last season it’s merely the sequel. With 257 runs in the competition already, Short is averaging a more than healthy 51.40 which includes three half centuries, two of which have been scored in Hobart. It’s worth mentioning that Ben McDermott has scored his one & only T20 century at this very ground, surely he can’t defy all odds and wind back the clock?

Apart from one innings where he missed out against the Scorchers, age & experience has served George Bailey well in BBL08 as he relishes the role of the finisher, something James Faulkner was well-known for in the Australian ODI squad. The batting line-up gets a 10/10 so far, it’s been nothing but a success. The bowlers haven’t done a bad job either, although Jofra Archer has been surprisingly quiet in his past three outings with the ball. That can only be seen as a positive for Hobart, simply because they relied on his X factor so much in BBL07 and have now found alternative options to back up the Caribbean excitement machine. As expected, former Stars all-rounder James Faulkner has been an excellent recruit taking 10 wickets in the tournament so far, Riley Meredith has also offered a lot with his zippy-pace. It’s the amount of bowling options that has given Matthew Wade the confidence to keep chopping & changing, and it appears to be unsettling opposition teams which is a big tick!